Here it is Ladies and Gentlemen, the greatly anticipated sequel to my DagurCup story 'From the Start' :) Enjoy :)
Chapter 1
Shocking Events
It had only been a year since the grand unification of the Berserker and the Hooligan clans, but already the two tribes were reaping the benefits of their union.
The Hooligan tribe not only had the benefit of trained dragons, but it also had access to finer weaponry and armour, due to its better forging capabilities. But the Berserker tribe also had materials that the Hooligans didn't. Because of its warmer climate, the island of Talon could produce resources and food that the colder islands couldn't, its position in the archipelago also allowed a better trade route between the other islands.
The two tribes formed a great balance, and became known throughout all the Viking realms. The two chiefs of these tribes also had their names known throughout the world.
Their names were Dagur the Deranged, and Hicca the Heroic. The fierce warrior of the Berserker tribe, and compassionate guardian of the Hooligan tribe, both of them were brave and wise as they ruled over the two islands.
The two have been happily married for a year now, and their adventures together continue.
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It was difficult at first, living between their two islands, but soon Dagur and Hicca found a system to travel by. They would stay for a week at a time on each island before moving to the other, if there was a problem on the other island during that time, one of them would travel back to help, the dragons helped by making the travel much faster. It wasn't perfect, but in order to look after both of their homes, they didn't mind the journey.
Dagur was now 26 years of age, he was tall and broad, with long auburn hair tied in a thick ragged braid down his back, and a short bristly red beard along his jaw line. His tunic was dark red with no sleeves and tattered edges, he wore black leggings, with thick fur pelts hanging from his waist, attached by a large leather belt with the Berserker crest on the buckle.
His boots were dark brown with metal toe guards, thick furs surrounded his forearms and shins and were tied on with thin leather ties. Dagur also had armoured elbow and knee pads, along with his signature shoulder guards and helmet, and his two prized swords were crossed over his back. And of course, he still had his iconic blue tattoos, the three stripes across his left eye and right bicep.
Hicca was 22, tall and slim but with her natural womanly curves. Her auburn hair was long and silky, and reached all the way down to her knees, the lower section of hair was loose, with the top section split into three braids. One was long and thick down her back, and the other two were thinner and hung either side of her head, she also wore a thin leather head band. Her long green tunic now hugged her figure tightly, reaching just above her knees with long sleeves that flared out from the elbows and reached just passed he wrists.
She wore a thick leather corset around her waist, brown leggings and a black leather boot, her metal leg had gone through a few changes, and was now mounted on a wooded base that was attached to her leg using leather straps. She wore minimal armour on her upper arms, knees and shoulders, and had the Hooligan crest forged onto her right shoulder pad. She also carried a long sword hanging at her hip, and her crossbow shield on her back.
They had gone through so many adjustments together, even before they were married, but now they faced every change together, as chiefs, and as a couple.
On the day of their next big change, the two were on Berk. Hicca and Dagur were in the grand hall, looking over some old treaties and maps together, enjoying one of the rare calm days on the island. Toothless was lounged around them, calmly watching his two humans work. The large dragon had also gone through some changes over the years, he was much larger than he had been in his teenage years, and his form had developed a sharper and more bristled look. He looked much more fierce than he had several years ago, but he still acted like an overgrown puppy, and now enjoyed the company from both Hicca and her mate.
Suddenly, Toothless's ears perked up, catching Hicca's attention.
"Toothless? What is it?"
Her question was answered when a large berserker soldier bust into the hall, the Viking made a beeline for the two chiefs, a distinctly worried look on his face.
"Chief Dagur! Chief Hicca! We have a problem!" The Viking shouted.
"Vorg, calm down, what the problem?" Dagur said as put down his scrolls and stood from his chair.
Vorg took a deep breath before starting, "We received word from some of our explorers back on Talon, they found a large chuck of ice floating in the ocean near the island. But when they went to investigate it, something attacked the ship!"
"What? Was it an enemy Vikings?" Hicca asked worriedly. The Hairy Hooligans and Berserkers hadn't had much trouble with the other tribes since they united, but some people out there didn't like the idea of the two clans joining into one great power.
"I don't think so," The Viking said as he pulled out the message. "The report says that, whatever is on the ice block... was firing lightning at anyone who came near."
"Lightning?" Hicca and Dagur said in unison.
"That's what the report says, but we have no idea what it could be," Vorg said as he looked over the parchment, just to double check if he had read the message correctly.
Dagur turned to Hicca, they both had experience with dragons, but Hicca was still considered the expert. "You don't think it could be Skrill, do you?"
Hicca thought for a minute, "I can't think of anything else it could be, Skrills are the only dragons known to manipulate lightning. We should take a closer look," Hicca rose from her seat and started walking towards the entrance to the grand hall, Toothless and Dagur already following close behind.
Later that day, Hicca, Astrid and Fishlegs were ready to take off. They were mostly going as a recon team, if they could take care of the problem, then they would. But if it looked like trouble, then they would come straight back for reinforcements.
"Okay, this is the last known location of the ice block according to the report from the Talon explorers," Dagur said as he handed the marked map to Hicca.
"Thanks, we'll be back as soon as we find something," Hicca said from on top of Toothless. She then lent down and pressed a kiss to Dagur's forehead, "Don't worry, I'll be back soon."
She and the other riders then faced forward, and took off. Dagur and a few other Vikings watched them go.
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It only took a couple of hours to reach the location of the large ice structure, it hadn't moved much since the explorers had be there, and was still quite close to Talon.
"I think that's it," Hicca called.
"Really, what makes you think that?" Astrid yelled back sarcastically.
It was a nice feeling to know that despite her position, Hicca's friends didn't treat her any differently compared to when they were teenagers. Of course there were times when they showed her respect, but for the most part, Hicca's peers were her loyal friends and confidants. The twins even welcomed Dagur in to the group with open arms, mostly because they found his name cool.
"Okay bud, let's go in low," Toothless did as he was asked and swooped low along the water's surface, Stormfly and Meatlug following close behind.
They slowed as they neared the ice block, now realizing that the structure was basin shaped, with large solid ice walls around the perimeter, it looked like a glass bowl floating in the water. The three of them circled around the outside, trying to see anything through semi see through walls, but the thick frost blocked the inside from view.
"Do you two see anything?" Hicca yell to the others.
Astrid strained to see anything through the ice, but among the clear blues and snowy white colours, she suddenly saw a flash of dark purple. "I definitely saw something in there, but I can't tell what it was."
"Okay, I'm going to take a look from above," Hicca called.
She and Toothless soared higher, trying to see over the top of the ice wall. But once they were in the air above the ice bowl, the creature inside had a clear line of shot.
Hicca didn't have time to warn the others as a lightning bolt shot from inside the ice, it hit Hicca and Toothless directly and shocked both of them to their very centres, causing Toothless roared in pain and Hicca to scream.
When the current shooting through them finally stopped, the two of them fell out of the sky and into the ice structure.
It all happened too fast for either Astrid or Fishlegs to react, but when they saw Hicca and Toothless fall, they finally snapped back to their senses.
"Hicca! Toothless!" Astrid was about to shoot forward to try and save the two of them, but Fishlegs blocked her path. "Fishlegs, get out of the way!"
"Astrid, you saw how quickly they were taken down, we need to go back and tell chief Dagur, and we need to hurry." Fishlegs hated the idea of leaving just as much as Astrid did, but if it was just them against a Skrill, they wouldn't stand a chance.
Astrid nodded stiffly, and the two turned and headed back to Berk as quickly as possible.
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While Hicca was on her mission, Dagur went back to studying the maps and old treaties. He knew Hicca would be fine, she was the great Dragon Conqueror after all. But there was still that part of him that made him look out the window ever few minutes, just waiting to see the large dark form of her dragon in the sky.
Then he spotted the dragon shapes flying towards Berk, a smile formed on his face, and he got up to welcome his wife back home.
But then he realized there were only two dragon riders in the sky.
"Astrid, Fishlegs, where's Hicca?" Dagur asked them once they landed.
Astrid was the first to jump of her dragon and race over to him, "Dagur, Hicca's in trouble!"
It took a while for Dagur's mind to catch up. "What!? What happened?" He demanded.
"We found the ice block in the ocean, but when Hicca tried to see what was inside of it, she was hit with this huge lightning bolt," Fishlegs said with a very worried look.
As Fishlegs said those words, everyone in the crowd, including Stoick and Gobber, instantly became worried for their Hooligan chief.
"How could she have been struck by lightning? The storms around the western waters should have ended by now," Stoick said stepping forward. The older Viking wasn't chief anymore, but when his daughter was concerned, he immediately went into protective mode.
"The lightning that attacked Hicca came from inside the ice block, it was definitely a Skrill," Astrid said confidently.
Dagur stood still for a long time. Hicca was strong, she could hold her own, and Toothless would protect her when she couldn't. He knew all this, but still... he wasn't about to lose his wife after only one year.
"Tell all the other dragon riders to get ready, and prepare a ship! We're going on a rescue mission!" Dagur yelled to the other Vikings around him.
Everyone jumped to their positions, the ships and dragons were prepared, and soon Dagur and the others were ready to set sail.
Okay, first chapter kicking off with a bang :) Let me know what you think :)